My cheap psu that still rocks!

[Jstn7477]

Reminds me of: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=154

I've had Bestecs (not the 12E version with the faulty 5VSB) that look better than this inside. The only thing I really like about these PSUs is torturing them to their death with older components I don't care about. For everything else, I buy decent 80Plus rated PSUs (preferably Gold or better) because PSUs like these literally convert 35% of the electricity you put into them into waste heat.

 

[brandonwh64]

Please do not triple or quadruple post. This is why there is a edit button and a reply button

 

[Tatty_Two]

Please do not triple or quadruple post. This is why there is a edit button and a reply button

Thank you, I deleted them as I continue cleaning up his posts, patience gone now!

 

[JunkBear]

Who did double triple posted? I just replied by quoting.

 

[Mussels]

Who did double triple posted? I just replied by quoting.

you had four posts in a row. thats impolite, please edit your posts into one.


if you click reply, then scroll right back up and hit reply again, it adds both quotes into the field to type your post.

 

[JunkBear]

Hhuuummm ok. If you say so. Hehehe

 

[Mussels]

Hhuuummm ok. If you say so. Hehehe

if you break rules and joke about it, we simply wont be nice about it next time.

 

[larrymoencurly]

they are able to give the rated wattage.

How do you know? IOW how did you measure the power output?
:
That A-Power looks even worse than my 300W Key Mouse (MaxPower), which at least had substantial input capacitors (each 560uF compared to 330uF) and a decent size main transformer (as big as those in good 300W PSUs). But like your A-Powers, it had no AC line filter (the one you see was added later, to bring back radio and TV reception), and the heatsinks and output donut coil filter were small. On better PSUs, that donut can be twice the volume, or two separate ones are used, but they can still get very hot at high power levels. In HardwareInsight's 2012 annual round-up of cheap PSUs, the 400W version of my Key mouse, sold as Rex Power, managed only 310W.

 

[JunkBear]

Thank you for sharing info and opinion. Never heard of these brands. Where are u living?

 

[brandonwh64]

The fact of the matter is that these PSU's are junk and we as a enthusiasts community wouldn't even recommend these is a prebuild machine

 

[Frag_Maniac]

Out of 33 PSUs on their website, only 7 are 80 plus rated and only two are bronze. The other 5 are below bronze.

The scary thing is, they also make a bunch of medical PSUs.

 

[larrymoencurly]

MaxPower/Key Mouse is rare in the US, and I got mine, 8-10 years ago, only because it was included with a free-after-rebate Soyo case.

HardwareInsights.com didn't test your $5 A-Power, but they did test a "680W" A-Power (http://hardwareinsights.com/wp/the-2012-el-cheapo-power-supply-roundup/10/):

It doesn't look any more substantial than the "430W" model -- same small donut coil for the outputs, same 330uF capacitors for the input. I haven't seen 330uF input caps in an ATX PSU since I bought a 250W cheapo that was so bad its 300W version was featured in a PC Power & Cooling ad as the epitomy of a junk PSU:

BTW the lack of a line filter doesn't just cause radio & TV interference but also lets in lower voltage surges that can make the computer lock up or reboot, and those surges aren't blocked by most surge protectors or backup supplies.

There's no reason to risk a computer to destruction that can be caused by a cheapo PSU, especially when NewEgg and TigerDirect frequently offer high quality Corsair or Antec 400W - 600W PSUs for just $20 - $30, after rebate.

 

[Nordic]

If one of those fans is a delta or some high quality fan like that, it alone is worth the $5. I doubt it is though.

 

[JunkBear]

I guess that it's 680w consumption and not output because it looks like exactly the same as mine. The fan was thé same in mine its just because i changed it.

 

[xvi]

No need to get excited because it's a cheaper PSU. It works for OP and OP is happy. We've expressed our concerns (many of which I agree with, if I'm honest), but it's currently doing its job.

 

[newtekie1]

No need to get excited because it's a cheaper PSU. It works for OP and OP is happy. We've expressed our concerns (many of which I agree with, if I'm honest), but it's currently doing its job.

Yep, and the reason PSUs like this work is because most of the time they are even even close to being loaded to their maximum. I wouldn't recommend them, but they end up working for a lot of people that build inexpensive computers because the parts just don't stress the PSU.

 

[Jetster]

The term work is loosely used here. Its the little stuff that drives me nuts every time in get on a PC that has a PSU like this. Hangs, slow responsive input devices, video anomalies, random restarts are all system of dirty power. Plus the noise. I admit though I have install PSUs like this and sold the PC. The person gave it back three years later when he wanted another built. He never complained about it ether. Man was it filthy when it cam back. I don't think he ever shut it off and the fan on the PSU was stuck. So yes I guess they work

 

[larrymoencurly]

I guess that it's 680w consumption and not output because it looks like exactly the same as mine. The fan was thé same in mine its just because i changed it.

More likely 680W means the maximum possible output the PSU can sustain for anywhere from one second to 5 minutes, at room temperature. Temperature can make a big difference because capacity drops with heat, like 15% - 30% when going from room temp to the common 40C inside a computer case. Generally, PSUs with power ratings specified at 50C are conservatively rated and pretty good.

I've never paid more than $15 for a PSU but have never accepted junk, except when it was free (used it for parts), and I would never hook up a computer to a junk PSU because its protection circuitry may not be built right to shut down the power before disaster happens, including when an overloaded transformer sends out a high voltage surge. Not even high quality PC PSUs contain protection to stop such surges once they're generated.

 

[Frick]

The term work is loosely used here. Its the little stuff that drives me nuts every time in get on a PC that has a PSU like this. Hangs, slow responsive input devices, video anomalies, random restarts are all system of dirty power. Plus the noise. I admit though I have install PSUs like this and sold the PC. The person gave it back three years later when he wanted another built. He never complained about it ether. Man was it filthy when it cam back. I don't think he ever shut it off and the fan on the PSU was stuck. So yes I guess they work

To be fair such problems could come from a Delta or Seasonic too. If it works, it works, but the guy replaced his Raidmax PSU with this.

That is the baffling part.

 

[JunkBear]

To be fair such problems could come from a Delta or Seasonic too. If it works, it works, but the guy replaced his Raidmax PSU with this.

That is the baffling part.

The Raidmax is gone. Was have some trouble of booting. Sometimes with no reason it refused to start the computer or litteraly boot but no video. After changing with this one I had used in previous systems and still going well it worked fine. No need to buy another one with money that I don't have anyway. I'm in Canada and we don't have same rebates as in USA also consider the fact that the shipping make the items overpriced compared to buying in local stores.